


Tied to You

by SunnyGalaxyFox (SUNgoddessOKAMI)



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Artist Keith (Voltron), Background Homelle, Bottom Keith (Voltron), But in a canonverse setting, Comfort, Falling In Love, Fluff, Keith (Voltron) has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Learning to trust, M/M, Panic Attacks, Red String of Fate, Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Slow Burn, Smut, Soulbonds can be purposely broken, Veteran Shiro (Voltron), background allurance, humans and aliens coexist, past abusive relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-25 02:20:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30081993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SUNgoddessOKAMI/pseuds/SunnyGalaxyFox
Summary: When Takashi Shirogane lost his right arm in a tragic wreck, he thought he'd lost his only connection with his soulmate. A life changing prosthetic ends up as more than just a second chance at a normal life. But when faced with the reality of meeting his soulmate, Keith Kogane runs scared and they both learn that it takes more than the red string of fate to learn to love and trust.
Relationships: Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	Tied to You

**Author's Note:**

> HI everyone! This is going to be my first posted Sheith fic, and red string soulmate fics were always my absolutely favorite, so I was super pumped to write! 
> 
> I want to do a quick shoutout to my friend SuiCausa, who reads all my Sheith barking and au ideas, and has always been a huge help with my writing. They haven't written Sheith, but if you like FF7 or FF8, they've got some good stuff in the works!

The blaring alarm sounded shrilly through the silent apartment.

It was 5am, and dawn hadn’t quite yet broken when Shiro silenced his phone. It was wishful thinking on his part, the remnants of an old routine that he had abandoned over a year ago. Back when his body was whole. Back when he had Adam. Back when he was chasing his dreams.

Back when he still had the chance to finally meet his soulmate.

But now all that was gone. Adam, his career, his hopes and dreams. And his soulmate. That glittering red string that would lead them to each other, severed along with his arm, changing not only his life forever, but his bond’s as well. At first Adam had understood. His own soulmate had broken their bond when he was seventeen, and he had been distraught for a long time. Though in typical Adam fashion, he began to view it in a more clinical way, his life wasn’t over, and he had to move on and live. When Shiro couldn’t do the same, a rift inevitably tore through their relationship.

Now here Shiro was, six months later. In the home he had built with the man he had loved and shared his life with for two years, the apartment empty and silent. It was a struggle to pull himself out of bed. It is every day, but today in particular was even worse.

‘It’s the most technologically advanced model ever created!’ Matt had told him excitedly. He was a genius in robotics, and had been spending the last year shifting his focus to prosthetics, making leaps and bounds to create some of the highest tech ever seen created by a human. The Garrison was lucky he was happy where he was with them, because there was no doubt that the governments from every country on Earth-- and even some planets several hundred lightyears away-- would offer Matt anything he ever wanted to get their hands on his work.

Shiro had forced a smile and nodded, while Matt had quickly gone into detail of his developments and the bugs they had finally worked out.

Matt was his best, and quite possibly only friend left. He had cared for Shiro when Adam had finally had enough. He had made sure there was always food, that his utilities were paid on time. He got Shiro to all of his physical therapy appointments, not only after the accident, but after he had gotten the base for his prosthetic grafted directly into the bone and flesh of what remained of his right arm.

He didn’t deserve Matt.

The banging on the door jarred Shiro out of his thoughts.

“Hey man, I hope you’re up, ‘cause today is the big day!” Matt Holt’s unmistakable voice is muffled by the front door, and Shiro is already worn out by the cheer.

Shiro pulls himself out of his bed, practically slumping against the wall in his exhaustion. It had been getting worse over the last month, to the point where he refused to even go to the gym with Matt anymore. The jokes about maintaining his herculean physique wore on his nerves so intensely that they had actually gotten into a fight in the middle of the gym. Shiro had felt guilty afterwards. He knew Matt was just trying to encourage him, but what was the point in maintaining a body that wasn’t even really his anymore? So Matt had stopped trying. He would still convince him to go for walks every so often just to get out of the empty apartment, but Shiro could never shake the feeling that people were staring at the poor amputee with the scar slashed across his face.

“Did you lose your key again?” Shiro grumbled as he pulled the door open for his friend.

“Nope! I just knew it would be the easiest way to get you out of bed,” he laughed, slapping Shiro hard on the back. At least he managed to look apologetic when he had to keep Shiro from falling over with the force of his excitement.

Shiro huffed an exasperated sigh and shuffled to the kitchen to make coffee.

He knew Matt was just trying to be helpful, but it was starting to grate on him more and more. Maybe it was just the day. Shiro was already on edge, had been all week, and getting less and less sleep each night. He had been to all his doctors, they had all prepped him so he would be prepared for what was about to happen today. Was he physically ready? Absolutely, he followed all the guidelines to prepare his body for the intricately crafted hardware that was going to make him “whole” again.

Emotionally ready was another thing entirely.

Between the guilt of ruining his soulmate’s life, or that “Pilot Error” was tacked all over his file to cover up what his mission had actually entailed, Shiro felt he didn’t deserve this second chance. His body was broken, and he should have to live with it. Plenty of others were in far worse situations than him. The whole reason he dropped from the support group Adam had bullied him into going to in the first place, was because he couldn’t stand to be around the people who lost limbs due to illness or acts of heroism. People who would never get this opportunity to walk or hold their loved ones in their arms again. The guilt was just too much.

Matt offered him a paper bag filled with a few bagels, and Shiro ignored Matt’s frown when he declined. He settled for just drinking his coffee, hoping that the caffeine would be enough for now. His stomach wouldn’t be able to handle food just yet anyway. Matt attempted light conversation, and while he usually was able to hold up well enough on his own, today was not one of those days. He fell silent quickly when Shiro wouldn’t even give him a singular grunt of acknowledgment, his mind clearly elsewhere.

“Everything’s gonna be fine, Shiro,” Matt told him, his voice gentle and full of understanding.

That was enough to pull Shiro from his spiraling thoughts. He swallowed and gave Matt a stiff nod.

With Shiro’s poor excuse for a breakfast drained from his cup, he knew he couldn’t keep putting this off. He left Matt in the kitchen to change to today’s clean pair of sweats and T-shirt. Moving to run a comb through his tangled mass of hair, Shiro was distracted by the man he saw looking back at him in the mirror. Skin sickly pale and bags under his eyes. His hair had grown long since the accident, a shock of white streaked through jet black, caused by the stress of being caught in the wreckage, his doctors had told him. The jagged scar across the bridge of his nose, that if it had been any higher it could have blinded him.

Lucky, they had said, he was lucky that all he had lost was his arm. He wasn’t blinded, or confined to a wheel chair. He was still alive.

If he was really so lucky, why did it hurt to pull himself out of bed every day? Why did it feel as if he was being punished for his own ambition?

He heaved a sigh and turned away from the stranger in the mirror, clumsily tying his hair back to stay out of his face. If he stayed any longer Matt would come dragging him out.

***

The drive to Marmoran Veteran Center was silent, and the tension left both of them on edge. Matt’s fingers white as he gripped the steering wheel, and Shiro’s own hand clenched into a fist the entire ride. Matt didn’t even chat with the receptionist this time around, Just stood by Shiro’s side as he signed in, gave her all of his information, and then silently followed Shiro to sit while they waited to be called back.

Anxiety began to build hard and fast in Shiro’s chest. Knee bouncing, he tried to focus on keeping his breathing steady, but he knew he was failing. He was going to get his arm back, and then what? His life would go back to normal? Adam wouldn’t come back. He wouldn’t be able to go back to work, the Garrison having put him on a long-term leave of absence, which he knew would just end in some sort of severance payout. The only reason they wouldn’t right now is for fear of him taking the incident to the press, and publicizing exactly how powerful that aircraft that he’d destroyed actually was. What it was potentially intended for, and what had happened to him after he had regained consciousness in enemy territory.

The worst of it all would be the confirmation that his soulmate was gone. He had loved Adam, but the man didn’t always understand his ambitions, his hopes and dreams. His soulmate would understand though. They would understand Shiro in a way nobody else could, that was the point of soulmates, right? Even if they didn’t become lovers, Shiro knew many people whose soulmates became their best friend. It was an unshakable bond regardless of if it grew to be romantic or platonic. Matt was his best friend, and cared for Shiro deeply, but even he didn’t know Shiro’s soul the way his bond would have.

The accident had taken everything from him.

“Shiro!”

Shiro jerked up, Matt’s concerned eyes catching his, his breath caught in his chest.

“You ok? They’re calling for you,” Matt tilted his head slightly, trying to gauge how deep into the anxiety attack Shiro had fallen, Matt’s hand rubbing his shoulder gently.

Shiro nodded weakly and pulled himself up. Taking a deep breath he followed the nurse down the hall. Matt stuck with him, skipping the small talk here too, while they took Shiro’s vitals and marking the usual in her chart. When she asked about depression and anxiety Shiro just looked away, ignoring the knowing look she and Matt exchanged.

Matt sat in the chair in the corner of the room, resting his chin in his hand. “You want me to leave when your doctor gets here?”

Shiro just fisted his hand in his sweatpants. Before the accident he was more independent, but now he could barely function without Matt holding his hand. What had even happened to him?

“Stay… Please.” Shiro could barely recognize his own voice through the tension. He knew Matt would gladly stay, and just tried to remind himself that Matt didn’t see him as a failure or as a waste of space. He was here because he wanted to be, not because he felt obligated… Right?

The door opening broke Shiro’s spiraling thoughts.

“Good morning, Shiro.” Ulaz, as he has insisted Shiro drop the doctor title, was a tall Galra,. He was stone faced enough to seem menacing at first glance, but now Shiro had been seeing him for the last year, he knew where to see the sparkle in his eye when he was pleased, or the small quirk of his lips that passed for a smile. He had been with Shiro through every step of his physical therapy, had worked tirelessly with Matt to create the perfect prosthetic for him. Ulaz had been there when Shiro had come out from under his anesthesia when the base had been grafted to his arm. He had patiently listened when Shiro insisted he didn’t need therapy, he was just fine, he could handle this on his own.

Shiro zeroed in on watching Ulaz’s face as he explained the procedure, purposely ignoring the aides coming in behind him, pushing a cart with a large wrapped bundle. He couldn’t tell what Ulaz was saying, his focus had drifted to his glowing, golden eyes. Most people assumed Galra of this variety didn’t have pupils, which wasn’t true, it was very faint, but the iris was visible if you knew what you were looking for.

When Ulaz narrowed his eyes at him, Shiro knew he couldn’t stall any longer. He was instructed to lie back as they reclined the table, and he swallowed hard when a small cart was rolled up against it. The aide gingerly unwrapped the bundle to reveal Shiro’s new prosthetic. 

Objectively it was a beautiful piece of robotics. A sleek, matte white casing, with steel gray accents. The fingers and palm made from a carefully adapted polymer, allowing his hand to maintain the same sensations and desxterity as his human hand. Matt had gone into intricate detail several times to prepare him, hoping that it would bring him out of the fog of his depression, and into the excitement of having the ability to try to return his life to some semblance of normalcy. Shiro swallowed against the dread. He was grateful that Matt had put so much work into this with Ulaz, they both worked hard to help him and keep him sane through the last year.

Even with all that he was still terrified.

In a fog Shiro followed directions, laid back on the table, the remnants of his right arm loose and pliable as Ulaz and his aides positioned it with the new prosthetic. He could hear Matt’s voice murmuring something in an attempt to be calming, but Shiro couldn’t make out what he was saying. He registered someone informing him about discomfort as they connected the prosthetic to the port on his arm. He could no longer make out the words, buzzing filling his head until it was all he could hear. A hand twined it’s fingers into his left, but he could barely register the pressure anymore, his breathing going ragged and his chest stuttering.

And then pain.

The only thing Shiro could hear was a scream, loud and guttural, like a wounded animal, and then his world went black.

***

“Hey, I think he’s waking up.” The voice was dripping with concern, a small tremor betraying the fear.

“Shiro, are you with us?” This one was deeper, more calm.

Shiro’s eyes felt heavy as he tried to pry them open, the light blinding him for a moment as he took stock of where he was. The lights embedded in the ceiling seemed to have a more unearthly glow to them, and the surface he lay on was stiff and uncomfortable. His body ached, like he had been jolted with electricity.

“I mean that’s kind of what happened,” the first voice— Matt?— told him.

He must have said that last part out loud.

Shiro’s vision began to clear enough to see Matt and Ulaz’s worried faces, the latter seemingly impassive if not for the pinch in his brow. He swallowed hard, his mouth felt as if it was stuffed full of cotton balls, and as the support of the table was raised back into an upright position, someone tipped a cup of water to his lips. He thankfully drank in gulps, clearing his once dry throat. They told him that the pain was from the sensors in his arm connecting to the nerves in his human body. It isn’t usually as severe as he experienced, but other than some residual soreness, his reaction was relatively normal.

“Shiro, we’re going to take this slow now, okay? We need to make sure all the sensory nodes are connected properly. We’re going to try to move your fingers first, but remember not to push yourself.” Ulaz spoke slow and calm.

Shiro nodded and looked down to take in the sight of his new arm. But the shock of what he saw made him choke out a gasp.

Entwined in the mechanical fingers was a glittering red string. Tangled and knotted, as if he had clenched his fist around them and refused to let go.

Caught in his shock and disbelief, he lifted the prosthetic to get a closer look, unable to hear Matt and Ulaz’s protests to go slowly. It was there, the string was really still there. Tangled in his mechanical fingers, the rest of the string loosely fell to the floor and faded out of sight as it trailed out the door of the exam room.

Shiro’s eyes swam with tears, and he covered his mouth with his human hand to stifle a sob. When Matt moved to his side to put his arm around his shoulders, Shiro fell into him, letting out a shuddering breath, and clenching the delicate string between his new fingers.

“Are you ok?” Matt asked him softly. “It’s ok to be emotional right now. I know you’ve been having a tough time with it all.”

“N-no. It… “ Shiro pulled in a deep shuddering breath, and tried to let it go slowly. His hands had started shaking, unable to control the sobs tearing through his chest. “The string. I-it’s still there.”

Matt just smiled and squeezed Shiro into a one armed hug. “Oh, Shiro…”

Shiro hadn’t lost everything. He may have lost his job, his arm, the ability to fly and reach the stars. He lost the man he was building a life with. But he still had his soulmate. Whoever it was, was still connected to him. Shiro knew he was in no state to be what his soulmate would need. He let himself fall to pieces, only concerned with what he lost, he hadn’t even considered that his soulmate was still there, waiting for him. 

Pulling in a deep, shaking breath, Shiro knew what he had to do. For his soulmate, but especially for himself.

“I… I want to get better,” Shiro said softly to Matt and Ulaz, he took in their surprised looks and smiled a tired smile at them, wiping his tears from his cheeks. “I’m tired of feeling broken. I was given a second chance, and I don’t want to waste it. I want to get help.”

Matt let out a choked out laugh, raw with emotion and tugged Shiro into a hug. Ulaz beamed, and nodded, assuring Shiro that they would get him the best they had to offer to get him the help and support he needed.

Taking in a shuddering breath, Shiro examined his new hand again, the glittering red string making his heart swell with hope.

Maybe he really was lucky.

***

The door swings open, and Keith throws his keys at the bowl by the entrance. He misses spectacularly, and they clatter to the floor instead. Heaving a sigh he slams the door shut, shrugs off his jacket and throws himself down on the couch, ignoring the annoyed squawk of his friend as he bounces.

“What gives man, I’m trying to play a game here!”

“This is where I sleep, go play in your room, Lance,” Keith grumps back.

“It’s not my fault you can’t keep an apartment!” Lance gripes, growling at the ‘You’re Dead’ flashing across the screen.

Keith shoves at Lance with his feet, knocking him to the floor, and covering his face with his arm. “Just fuck off, Lance!”

“What the hell is even wrong with you?” Lance pulls himself to his feet, switches the game off, and tucks the controller away. He turns back to Keith and puts his hands on his hips. “You’re acting like even more of an asshole today.”

Keith just heaved a heavy sigh, turning his head away, towards the back of the couch. “Maybe if you checked your texts you would know.”

As Lance scrambles to find his phone, Pidge enters the room and leans over the back of the couch, completely unfazed by Keith’s outburst.

“So that jackass finally got to you, huh?” Pidge asks, resting her chin in her hand.

“The asshole was going off on Romelle again!” He flings his arms out with a growl. “She’s done nothing but be the nicest, hardest working waitress there! He’s just a xenophobic bastard. Pissed she’s Altean and going to a good college?” Keith snorts, shaking his head. “She doesn’t need that place. She deserves better.”

Keith knows they both agree with him. Pidge and Lance have both met Romelle before, and the cheerful Altean had won them over quickly. He wouldn’t say the two of them are close, but they grew up in a group home together, until her brother had died, and then her subsequent adoption when they had both been twelve. They had reconnected at this shitty diner job, she had introduced him to her adopted sister Allura, who had easily fallen into the little group he already had with Lance and Pidge, made easier that she and Lance were soulmates.

She was in her senior year of college, and had gladly tossed her apron over the counter when Keith was physically thrown from the diner. She still had her whole life ahead of her. Keith didn’t give a damn what happened to him, but Romelle at least deserved to be treated well. She was a good person, and Keith’s friend, the number of which he could count on a single hand.

But that’s what it was like living in foster care and carted across the country your whole childhood. He had been there until he aged out, finishing up highschool with Lance as his token friend, and ending up with nothing but a long string of temporary jobs, while living with his high school boyfriend. Until he ended up single, and living in whatever apartment of the month he could afford, until his current job inevitably fell through for one reason or another, and he finally ended up on Lance and Pidge’s couch permanently last year.

He knew he wasn’t innocent with all of his losses, he had a notoriously quick temper, and he had always had “disciplinary case” in his file, whether it be from his caseworker, the school, or whatever shitty job he ended up fired from. Keith couldn’t stand working for people who wanted to flex their superiority over him, or his fellow coworkers. So while his track record showed his inability to keep a job as insubordination, he knew it was usually because he was protecting someone who couldn’t protect themselves.

This last one at Vrepit Sal’s, was a Galra run establishment, with a human manager. The owner was nice enough, but why he had hired a guy who hated anything not human to be the manager was beyond Keith. Didn’t matter in the end, Keith would have quit soon anyway, even if he hadn’t gone after Romelle today.

“I’m really sorry, man,” Lance glanced over to Keith with an apologetic tone, while Pidge pat Keith’s shoulder softly.

He was a major fuck up, but he was thankful to have them as his friends.

They didn’t even care that he was half Galra.

All three of their phones going off at once with incredible comedic timing kept Keith’s intrusive thoughts from taking hold. A small blessing.

“It’s from Hunk,” Pidge tells them, swiping up on her phone.

The words “I FOUND MY SOULMATE!!!!” flashed across all of their screens, confirmed by Lance and Pidge’s exclamations of excitement as one of them dialed Hunk immediately. Keith was more reserved in his reaction, but was just as happy for his friend. Hunk was a kind and generous person, and if anyone deserved to spend their lives with their soulmate, it was him.

Through the excited phonecall Keith’s phone dinged again. Turning away from his celebrating friends, Keith swiped into his phone.

Romy:  
Keith!! Something amazing just happened!  


  
Me:  
???

Something more amazing than never having  
to wait tables at Sals?  


Romy:  
YES!

Kiki, I met my SOULMATE!!

Keith’s eyes widened in surprise as he reread the message several times. Romelle met her soulmate. Did that mean…?

Me:  
Your soulmate?

That’s amazing! 

My friend Hunk also met his sm today…  


Romy:  
Yes, that’s him!!!

I had no idea until just now that you  
all were friends with my soulmate  
this whole time!!  


  
Me:  
I’m so happy for you Romy!

Romy:  
🥰🥰🥰

Keith dropped the phone in his lap, unable to wipe the smile from his face. Two of his best friends found each other as their soulmates today. They were incredibly lucky and Keith couldn't be happier for both of them.

Through the excitement the group made plans to meet for dinner, congratulating Hunk several more times through the phone before Keith excused himself to get ready. He didn’t have his own bedroom, but the others never rushed him in the bathroom, knowing it was the only place he actually got privacy.

He couldn’t complain about the lack of privacy though. They let him live on their couch for the last year, technically rent free, but Keith did his best to contribute when he was able to bring money in, either through whatever temp job he ended up in, or the freelance art commissions he offered online. Finally washing the sour feeling of the events at Vrepit Sal’s away, Keith let himself relax under the stream of the hot water. 

Keith was elated for Romelle. After today’s shitshow, he was glad she would come out of all of this with her soulmate.

At this point Keith was the only one who hadn’t met his yet.

Lance had connected with Allura, and fallen in love almost immediately. When they both agreed they wanted to focus on their careers it came as a shock to everyone that Lance would make such a mature decision. They would go out together on occasion, but Lance respected her desire to focus on med school.

However Lance’s maturity ended there, as he still made it his life goal to piss Keith off to no end. If a stranger looked in, they wouldn’t be able to understand the friendship between the two of them, constantly bickering and antagonizing the other. But if you asked them, Lance would immediately defend Keith as his emo little brother with a shitty hairstyle (even when Keith would remind Lance he was at least a year older, and he did not have a mullet.).

Pidge had found her soulmate as soon as she got into college. Keith didn’t know much about what happened between them, but they had both agreed to break the bond. Pidge had reasoned she wasn’t interested in a romantic relationship of any sort with anyone, and holding her soulmate hostage like that would have been unfair. So they met up over coffee, broke the bond, and went their separate ways amicably. Keith recalled Pidge mentioning her ex soulmate had gotten married recently, so he figured they must be doing well.

Keith on the other hand… Things never seemed to be easy for him. Growing up as a half Galra in a bigoted southern town in west Texas was exactly as it was expected to be. His father was a respected part of the fire department, but as soon as word got out he was married to a Galra woman, there were suddenly cutbacks, and he was out of a job. Keith’s mother took jobs off planet with her humanitarian group, the Blades of Marmora, managing to support them both. They were working on moving to a larger city where Keith’s father could find a new job, and Keith didn’t have to worry about being bullied for his half alien heritage.

When the day finally came that his mother was scheduled to return, and their whole family would be uprooted to move north, her ship never returned. Six year old Keith couldn’t understand why his mother hadn’t come home, begged his father to stay. So they waited a week with no word, and Keith was silently strapped into the car, sniffling and clinging to his plush lion, and they started their trek north.

A year later tragedy struck again.

In their new city Keith’s father had managed to build a life for them. Keith still wondered over his mother’s disappearance, but his father always kept the joy in their house, no matter how busy he got at his full time job or volunteer fire fighter work. He would encourage Keith’s creative side, filling the front of the refrigerator with his drawings, and helped him build a tire swing in the singular tree in their backyard. Keith misses his mother, but his father was always there for him.

One evening Keith came home from school before his father, a small note stuck to the fridge apologizing for having to run back to work, and having to stay late, but he would bring Keith home his favorite fast food meal. Seven year old Keith tossed the note aside with excitement, and settled on the couch to wait for his dad to return home, his favorite cartoon on the tv.

Several hours later, darkness had fallen and a loud banging on the door startled Keith awake, and when he answered the door, expecting his father, he was shocked to find two policemen and a woman in a pressed suit. Even as a child, he could see in their faces that his father wouldn’t be coming home, he pleaded, and begged to let him stay, that his dad would be back, he had promised. The woman had smiled sadly and helped him pack his backpack with some clothes and his plush lion.

After that Keith was tossed from home to home, family to family. They tried group homes, they tried small families with no children, large families with many children, but nothing could help the anger growing inside Keith. He never spent more than a few months at any given place. The longest stretch had been six months, but the family couldn’t handle having such a problematic, dangerous boy around their precious children, and finally he was placed in a group home with other troubled boys his age.

When he turned eighteen he was sent on his way.

In high school he had met Lance, and while he tried to push the rowdy Cuban boy away, he couldn’t shake him, until he finally grumbled and accepted him as his friend. Lance had accepted him for his heritage, and while he teased him for how broody he behaved, there was never any malice behind it. Keith had also met Lotor, the only other Galra hybrid Keith had ever met. He had instantly enamored by Lotor’s charisma and ability to sweet talk his way through anything. To this day Keith is still unsure how it happened, but they ended up in a serious relationship through their senior year, and when Keith was kicked out from foster care, he had a home with Lotor in their own apartment.

However in true Keith Kogane fashion, the good things came to an end. His relationship spiraled into a toxic place, and with Lance’s urging, Keith finally decided he’d had enough. He left Lotor, and moved into his own tiny, studio apartment. Lance had helped him move his few belongings, and while Keith couldn’t afford to do much, he managed to keep himself afloat for the time being. Of course his attitude was still his worst trait, and he jumped from job to job, apartment to apartment until Lance finally convinced him to move in with him and Pidge for a while.

The one constant Keith had through his whole life was the presence of his soulmate. He can’t remember when the bond formed. If it was something he was born with, or if it just appeared over time, but looking down at that glittering red string wrapped around his finger reminded him that out there, somewhere, there was someone who was meant for him.

***  
They all agreed to meet at Hunk’s favorite restaurant, which also happened to be the one Hunk was working his culinary arts internship at, a place called The Yellow Lion. It’s not exactly an upscale location, but far out of Keith’s normal price range. Which isn’t saying much, because the prices at iHop feel like fine dining for his wallet.

It would be fine though. This was for Hunk and Romelle, and they deserved to have a good night without him bringing them down. He would just pick up a few extra commissions, and he would still be able to keep his phone turned on.

The restaurant wasn’t that busy yet, but seeing as it was a friday evening, it was likely to become crowded before long. The group always made sure they were seated as far away from the bar as possible. Keith knew it was for him. He hated crowds, and being out in public. Too much anxiety at a club one night had spiraled him into a panic attack, and while Pidge and Lance swore not to tell anyone (after they had needled him for hours about seeing someone about it, with zero success.), they always made a conscious decision to keep the crowds to a minimum.

The rest of the group went along with it, thankfully with zero questions.

Hunk and Romelle were already waiting for them at their table, and when Keith and the others approached, Hunk swept the three of them into a tight hug. Lance moaned about Hunk throwing his back out, and larger man released him with a laugh. Their happiness bled easily into Keith as Allura joined them, and they all settled in for their meal. Joy and laughter erasing the tension from the stressful events of Keith losing another, albeit shitty, job. With this little group Keith felt more secure than he had in years. They were all so different, yet they had been brought together through soul bonds and stubborn tenacity.

Keith has no idea where he would be without them.

“So I heard you defended Romelle’s honor at the diner today,” Allura cautiously addressed Keith.

“Oh, uh. Yeah. The guy was kind of always a dick.” Keith fiddled with the napkin at the table, flushing at Allura’s kind smile.

The Altean always seemed so regal, and quite frankly intimidating. Keith was fully aware Allura cared for him as one of her dear friends. Though hadn’t known each other for very long, when they had first met she had confided in him that it felt like he was a part of his family, with how much Romelle had told her about him.

There was something about Allura that radiated her protectiveness, and Keith could never shake the feeling that if anyone were to hurt someone she loved they would have a very fierce enemy to contend with.

Allura just smiled kindly, glancing over to Romelle, who was laughing with Hunk at something Lance had said.

Keith felt a momentary pang in his chest. These people here with their soulmates, they were truly happy. Even Pidge making the choice to break her bond was fully happy with the decision. All Keith felt was turmoil. He hadn’t met his soulmate yet, and he was unsure if he even wanted to. He was a fuck up. He couldn’t hold a job. He failed at most relationships, choosing one night stands via a hookup app, than actually trying. Each time he felt guilty, like he was betraying his bond, but if all he could bring to the table was sex anyway, what was the point?

“Keith?”

He jerked himself out of his downward spiral of thoughts, Romelle had joined Allura in giving him a worried look.

“You alright?”

“I’m ok,” Keith tried to smile, but was sure it came out as a grimace instead. Nobody here needed to be brought down by his inner bullshit. Fidgeting with his napkin, he peered back up at Romelle, this time he managed a soft, genuine smile. “I’m just really happy for you. After everything you’ve gone through, you deserve to be happy.”

“You do too, Keith.” Romelle’s voice was tender with the sincerity, and she reached across the table to squeeze his hand, rescuing the napkin he was eviscerating in his anxiety.

“Y-yeah.” Keith wanted to scoff, but he couldn’t. Romelle was the only other person who truly understood what Keith had gone through all his life, she had been his unofficial sister up until she had been adopted, and he knew anything she said to him was from a genuine place. 

Without warning a tingle started to spread through Keith’s right hand. He rubbed it absently, engrossed in a conversation with Allura and Romelle about their last visit to Altea, and their eccentric uncle, Coran. It wasn’t until Keith reached for his drink that he saw the telltale glow of the red string. His eyes widened, and stomach dropped. Suddenly Keith’s appetite was gone as anxiety gripped his chest with an iron fist.

His soulmate was nearby.

Keith stood quickly, attempting to hide the tremble in his hand. Lance looked up momentarily, shooting him a questioning look from across the table.

“I’m not feeling super hot, I’m just gonna run to the restroom.” Keith was impressed that he managed to keep the tremble from his voice, and if Lance hadn’t been so engrossed in Allura’s attention, he was sure he’d have been followed away from the table. Pidge gave a wave to someone behind Keith, so he took the group’s distraction as his chance to escape.

As soon as he was out of the dining room, Keith sped down the hall, ignored the looks of the people busy in the kitchen and dashed out the back door. Keith didn’t bother stopping in the alleyway, his panic pushing him to run faster, put as much distance between him and that restaurant as physically possible.

Keith’s heart was screaming at him to go back, his chest constricting and he could barely breathe. His soulmate was there and he was running away, he was going in the wrong direction. His heart wanted his soulmate, but his instincts told him to run. To get as far away from his bond as possible, and even though they were across town from his, Lance and Pidge’s apartment, his legs would not let him stop his flight.

He was an unemployed, homeless orphan, with a short temper and an attitude problem. What could he possibly offer his soulmate, other than his body, which was already short and scrawny for a guy. He didn’t even get the height benefits of being half Galra.

Even his heritage was another strike against him.

Most people would deny it, but many were still afraid of Galra. When Daibazaal joined the Galactic Federation, it ignited a civil war between the Galra themselves, and there was even a faction that came to Earth looking to start a war. Daibazaal had managed to intercept the attempt before reaching Earth, and as thanks, they were welcomed to the planet as allies, and a large number of Galra had built their own community in North America. Many humans however were still wary of the large, combat savvy aliens, and tensions had risen to an all time high in the last few years.

If his soulmate wasn’t put off by his inability to keep a job, then his status as a half alien would do the trick.

Keith slowed to a stop. Home was only a block away, but his legs ached, and chest heaved. He slumped onto the steps of a nearby apartment building and buried his face in his hands. There was nothing he could offer his soulmate. Security, intimacy, love. He was broken, and could do none of those things. Maybe this was a sign to just break the bond once and for all, give his soulmate a fighting chance to find someone worthwhile. His hands were trembling, the string had stopped glowing, but still glittered in the moonlight. How easy it would be to just untie it from his fingers.

Choking back a sob, Keith cradled his right arm into his chest, curling into himself on those cold, concrete steps in the middle of the city. He just couldn’t do it. His bond had already almost been lost once, and Keith wasn’t sure if he could do it again.

“Keith!!”

Hastily wiping his tears away Keith looked up. Lance had pulled up on the curb and was getting out of his beat up, junker of a car he affectionately named Blue, Pidge close behind.

“Hey, we were looking everywhere for you, man. Are you nuts, running all the way here??” Lance crossed his arms, but his expression softened when he saw Keith face, eyes red and cheeks splotchy. Lance’s shoulders slumped and he sighed, “C’mon, let’s go home.”

Pidge pulled the door to the backseat open, and Keith was too spent to object, just silently settling in for the quick ride back to their apartment. They at least waited until they were home, and Keith was collapsed onto the couch before they started the questions. He was just too exhausted to even fight against it this time.

“So what happened? If it was a panic attack you know you can tell us,” Pidge started, sitting on one side of Keith while Lance took the other.

“It- It wasn’t an attack, at least it didn’t start that way.” Keith released a shuddering breath, and covered his right hand with the other. He couldn’t bear to look at the string right now. Swallowing hard, he leaned his head back against the couch, closing his eyes. “Pidge, how did you know it was the best choice to break your bond?”

Pidge’s eyebrows shot up, clearly not expecting this line of questioning. “Well, for me I’ve never been interested in having a relationship of any type. It’s called being aromantic. When I met my soulmate I explained that to them, and we agreed breaking it would be the best choice for both of us, so they could do what made them happy, and I could continue with what I wanted.” Keith had to look away when her eyes filled with sympathy. “Do you think you need to break your bond?”

“I don’t know,” he choked out. “Sometimes I feel like I should. Do… Do you guys remember last year? When something weird happened with my string?”

“Oh yeah, it got all wacky,” Lance looked thoughtful as he reclined back into the couch. Keith didn’t even have the energy to tease him for thinking too hard.

“Yeah… It lost it’s color, and it kept fading in and out. At first I thought they had broken the bond, but then it kept coming back. It hasn’t happened again, but I just… I can’t… I don’t know if I could even do it.” Keith wrapped his arms around himself. He hated feeling weak, and while he knew his friends would never judge him for this, telling them of his fear of being alone just felt like too much. “But I’m not good enough.”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, buddy, because you know that’s not true,” Lance growled at Keith with a severity he had never seen in his friend before.

Pidge sighed. “Keith, everybody feels that way about their soulmate. My brother’s best friend? We saw him at the restaurant?”

Keith’s brow furrowed, but Pidge ignored his confusion. 

“You left before he came over, but he is a super nice guy, like saint level nice, he’s smart, funny,” Pidge counted each point on her fingers. “He used to be the best pilot at the Garrison, and he’s handsome as hell, and even he is afraid he isn’t good enough for his soulmate.” She threw up her hands in exasperation.

“Yeah dude, everybody is nervous over meeting their soulmate. I mean I wasn’t because look at me, I’m a fucking catch!” Lance stated smugly, earning an eyeroll from both Keith and Pidge, but he continued as if they hadn’t responded. “Even Allura was nervous about it, and let’s be honest, man, if someone as perfect as Allura was nervous about it, then a fuckup like you is allowed to be nervous— Hey!!”

Pidge, clearly having had enough, scrambled over the back of the couch to whack Lance with a pillow, growling that they were supposed to be making Keith feel better, not worse. The taller boy scrambled away with a squawk, attempting to flee the fury of their tiny roommate.

Keith sunk back into the couch, away from the violence, and he couldn’t help but smile. He wasn’t sure if he would ever be ready to meet his soulmate, but maybe someday he would be brave enough to seek them out. Either way his friends would be there to support him, and for now, that was enough.


End file.
